The Canadian government is strengthening the country’s border security and immigration system through a five-pronged plan that includes an investment support of about $903 million.
According to Ottawa’s announcement on Tuesday, one of the border plan’s cornerstones is strengthening the operational coordination between Canadian and U.S. authorities for stronger immigration monitoring and enforcement measures. Toward this goal, the plan’s focus areas include real-time intelligence sharing, interoperability improvement and the pursuit of crime syndicates on illegal border crossings.
Cross-Border Control
Canada will also propose a new North American Joint Strike Force to tackle transnational organized crime with the United States. Domestically, Ottawa will form three regional hubs composed of federal, provincial and local law enforcement officers to support and consolidate their capacities to enable faster action against border crimes or violations, such as the illegal drugs trade.
A Canada–U.S. Cross-Border Crime Forum held in August 2023 had already assessed the countries’ progress on collaborative activities against cross-border crimes. Canada’s Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino and David Lametti, then minister of justice and attorney general, hosted their U.S. counterparts, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Homeland Security Security Alejandro Mayorkas, at the forum in Ottawa.
Real-Time Intelligence Sharing
Another pillar of Canada’s new border plan is wider information sharing. Under this strategy, immigration data and intelligence will be shared between Canadian federal, provincial and territorial authorities, counterparts in the United States, and other international partners.
The enhanced information exchange will enable authorities to collaborate closely in identifying, monitoring and intercepting high-risk travelers engaged in illegal goods trafficking between countries, Ottawa said.
Mike Duheme, Royal Canadian Mounted Police commissioner, anticipates positive operational impact from the border plan’s local and international security collaborations and proposed investments. “These investments build on existing measures through new dedicated tools for law enforcement and expanding our capacity for aerial surveillance,” he said.